Middle America is none to pleased with veteran thespiatrix Jane Fonda who yesterday entertained viewers of NBC's Today show with "a four-letter word for female genitalia".
Host Meredith Vieira had asked Fonda about her appearence in stage play The Vagina Monologues, which contains a section entitled "Cunt". In her answer, the …

Missing the point

Another 'outrage' that demonstrates that no one knows what they are talking about. Anybody with even a cursory knowledge of The Vagina Monologues would understand the whole point of Jane Fonda actually saying the word.

Rude?

When I was working in Niddrie, one of the local youths (hired so we got local grants) once used the endearing term "Ya cuntin' cunt" at me. It was used as a compliment, as is the way in the schemes, and he didn't get sacked for it. I suspect he will never find work in broadcasting, which is just as well as no-one could make out most of what he was saying. Mubbers, we salute you.

So there, she said it

Weird people, Americans. The said "millions of families" don't get horribly offended when the inbred jackasses shoot their own classmates, they're not shocked when their army inflicts democracy on other countries and when these same families use and discard most of world's irreplacable resources. But one mention of female genitalia, taken out of context and the end is nigh... Does it make them feel better about themselves, does it help them to feel like a superior nation that alone is responsible for preserving the morality in this world?

It's hard being perfect, I know - all these other imperfect people annoy you all the time.

Title

It is a pity that 'even in this day & age' folk get uptight about certain sounds/words. If they didn't make a fuss, there wouldn't be anything to fuss about. Oh well, maybe one day they'll have left that in the past.

OVERREACTION

I can't put it any more plainly than that. Seriously, folks, it's fine to go on about protecting the children ("Won't somebody think of the children!") but get a grip. It happens. No need to blow it completely out of proportion, especially since she wasn't even swearing - she was referring to the title of an act!

....oh forget it! Look - it's not offensive. It's a word. That's all. It's not a personal attack on someone or some group of people. It's not a sleight on someone's hamster or goldfish. It's just a word. It's not "offensive".

I can't think of a single thing in my life (except maybe personal insults, but even there, I'm not bothered) that I have found "offensive". I would love to know what people actually feel when they say they are "offended". Being offended is very fashionable these days, and it's obviously pretty good because a lot of people seem to go out of their way to feel it, and I wouldn't want to think I was missing out.

Publicity stunt

Fonda knew perfectly well that you don't say 'c---' on morning television, and it's not a word that just slips out unless you're angry, which she wasn't. Her use of the word was a calculated publicity stunt.

A little hypocritical perhaps?

PTC

I do hope that the PTC members provide their children with earplugs when they go out into the street...

btw Caprice said the same word on UK TV (I think it was on the appalling GMTV, the most offensive program on terrestrial TV) when she was promoting her role in the same "play", perhaps it's in the actresses contracts that they must say the word on TV at every opportunity.

a never ending source of entertainment

You have to love the Americans. A four letter expletive or an exposed nipple will provoke a shit storm of outrage however rampant capitalist exploitation, erosion of civil liberties, blatant corruption and Orwellian oppression all commited openly and in full public view is willingly accepted.

Wake up America. There is so much wrong with your society and in all honesty four letter words are the least of your problems.

"This programme has warped my fragile little mind ..."

Just mentioned this to a work colleague and apparently a friend of his performed the relevant section of the Vagina Monologues when she was at University. Obviously NBC didn't show clips as (apparently) the 'Cunt' section ends with the audience chanting the c-word at the tops of their voices.

And this is from the same country that brought us 'South Park' and 'Team America: World Police'.

Its a nation of 3-year olds

Brilliant

The whole idea of the Vagina Monologues is to make people feel stupid for being scared of words like "cunt". Of course, she knew exactly what she was saying. Anyone who knows anything about the monologues will realise that.

Stupid Americans.

I'm an American, I find nothing wrong with the word, as a matter of fact I use it quite often, it's a fairly humorous word. The thing is, you have all these prudish up-tight upper class families, who don't beat their children, the sort you see on the Nanny shows, that cringe at the mention of a fart. They're so hoity-toity that even a natural process offends them, it's ridiculously absurd! I actually wished I could've seen the show, would've brought on a good laugh!

To you lucky Brits, don't be too harsh on the Amis, remember we're simple-minded, righteous folk. =P Believe you me, I hate us just as much! :D

How do they know...

...that "millions" of families were upset by the outburst?

Oh, and would someone explain the adverts in the London Underground a few years ago? On one side the escalators were a dozen adverts for "THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES" while on the other side, were a dozen adverts for the DVD release of "PUPPETRY OF THE XXXXX". Since when was "vagina" acceptable and "penis" not?

Publicity cunt

I believe you may be right. Vagina Monlogues has, I believe, a section about reclaiming the word "cunt" from its present debased state. The reasoning goes along the lines of "why should a word for a thing that gives so much pleasure be transformed into one of almost universal insult?".

Publicity stunt

Spleen, I'll point you towards Graham Newton's post up at the top there. The word didn't just 'slip out', it was the title of a part of the play she had worked in, which was the subject of the interview.

Perhaps the network should have reconsidered airing the subject of the 'vagina monologues' at that time in the first place?

Question...

Out of interest, what are they doing over there with "Atonement"? You never get to hear the word, but it's written down. Do they blank it out? Or have they just given it a XXX certificate and forbidden anybody under the age of 90 to see it?

Christian Taliban

Let us not forget that the original migrants (yes I know, pedants stay away) to the US were the Puritans fleeing religious persecution/looking for their own Afghanistan. If they weren't the living embodiment of the Christian wing of the Taliban, then I don't know who was.

Regarding protecting kids ....

I would far rather my kids find legal, non-violent, consenting sex scenes on the web or TV (I really would not see a problem with that) than much of the realy obscene violence Americans take in their stride. In fact, even the A-teams almost cartoon violence which suggests that you can empty a clip of an AK-47 on a truck full of bad guys and nobody gets hurt is more questionable for kids than sex scenes. If the kids are really young, they simply think these grown-ups are behaving in a silly way. If they are old enough to be interested, they will find the stuff anyway, so at least let it be legal, non-violent, consenting sex.

Hardly surprising

Bunch of cunts.

HAHAHA!

Its ok to do gods work and torture and shoot brown people in the head, steal their land, money, prospects, and glamorize it on tv with a good 'ol stars and stripes waving in the background, but as soon as you tread on one of their hypocritical taboos, then bam, the inbred tractor driving middle-american army declare it a war.

bunch of cunts (and no im not referring to part of a play or work of art).

Re: Ru

It's irrelevant that it's part of the play. You shouldn't say 'c---' on morning television - I agree that America has a warped attitude towards swearing, but using the word before the watershed goes too far the other way. "It's just a word" is also a warped attitude - nothing is just a word. If "beer" was just a word I would have great difficulty getting what I wanted in a pub. "Beer" carries a meaning, which is "hop-based alcoholic beverage", and "c---" carries a meaning, which is "extremely derogatory reference to woman's genitalia".

Jane Fonda is an intelligent woman and was perfectly capable of speaking around the word, or substituting something. She chose not to.

(In case you're wondering why I self-censor, it's because it's an extremely unpleasant word and I only use extremely unpleasant words when something extremely unpleasant has happened. It's not for any kiddies who might read this, it's for myself - I feel extremely uncomfortable speaking the word out loud, or having it stare back at me from something I wrote, unless there's good reason for it. Besides, overusing a swearword takes away its impact. Since everyone is quoting South Park, there was an episode pointing that out as well a few series ago.)

@Rich

I think you'll find that both of the above are from the United States......not Canada. Perhaps checking your information before spouting off might be a good idea?

Perhaps this is an attempt to pass off someone you find distasteful as Canadian as the reverse of the usual attempts to claim anything popular which is Canadian in origin as "American"

Given that I used to live in Canada I agree with the sentiment that its rather presumptuous of the English speaking world to refer to citizens of the United States as "Americans" given that Canadians, Mexicans etc all count as "Americans" by virtue of the continent they live on.

Blame Canada?

See "Kurt"

He speaks the truth.

I enjoy mocking America as much as the next guy. The thing is every American I've actually met rather than seen on TV has been amongst the most lovely and down to earth people I've had the privilege to meet.

I guess it's the same the world over - there are plenty of sane people out there, but it's the nutters and spanners that end in Big Brother/Government/the Daily Mail letters page.

This particular incident smacks of publicity, and anyone that fell for it and went into wailing/sack cloth and ashes mode should be beaten with a rubber hose. Then removed from the voting lists.

And let's not forget baseball

I'm still wondering why my government is so concerned about drug use by baseball players instead of the two wars we're involved with in the Middle East. I don't care if some overpaid player is using growth hormone because it's only a GAME... War on, the other hand, causes DEATH and is a waste of RESOURCES.

Even the illegal wire-tapping litigation is more important than what Jane Fonda said. What I don't understand, is why these people have their t.v.'s on in the first place when it's a given that something offensive is eventually going to rear it's ugly head. Maybe they should just remove their t.v.'s from their homes OR hot-glue the channel changer to one of their religious stations, to be safe. Are they that detached from the role of parent that they can't tell their children, "No t.v.".

Re: "Ru" by Spleen

"If 'beer' was just a word I would have great difficulty getting what I wanted in a pub"

But 'beer' IS just a word. Yes it has meaning. That's what words are for! No point having words if they don't have meaning, except maybe in a comedy sketch.

As for "...extremely derogatory reference to woman's genitalia"

It's only derogatory because you decide that it is. In your own head! As has been pointed out, "cunt" has been somewhat hijacked in the English language, in the same way as "gay" has been hijacked to refer to someone of a homosexual persuasion. As has been pointed out, one of the points of the play is to point this out and to reclaim the word. Check out Germaine Greer's thoughts on this. I'm not holding her up as the bastion of feminist thinking, but she objects strongly to the word "vagina"; derived from the Greek (or is it Latin? - sorry you'll have to check if you're interested) meaning "vessel". I don't want to misquote her, so check for yourself, but it's this meaning of "vagina" that she finds offensive (against her feminist views) and so believes it should not be used. She is on record as saying she much prefers "cunt" as it is a more correct and none-derogatory word.

@ Spleen

Respect the cock! And tame the cunt! Tame it! Take it on headfirst with the skills that I will teach you at work and say no! You will not control me! No! You will not take my soul! No! You will not win this game! Because it's a game, guys. You want to think it's not, huh? You want to think it's not? Go back to the schoolyard and you have that crush on big-titted Mary Jane. Respect the cock. You are embedding this thought. I am the one who's in charge. I am the one who says yes! No! Now! Here! Because it's universal, man. It is evolutional. It is anthropological. It is biological. It is animal. We... are... men!

I'm an American, but live in Germany..

I love the way Europeans treat sex and profanity, as natural, and not something to be ashamed of. Words are representations of actions or emotions, if I'm angry and yell darn it or whatever equally absurd replacement, I am really yelling fuck anyway. Who decided what words are profane anyway, I missed that meeting, if I had been there, I would have chosen darn it as profane, then everyone would walk around saying fuck.

What kids are watching TV at 9:00am anyway, any child that would know what that word meant anyway would be in school long before 9:00am. Also whoever was letting their kids watch a show about vaginas shouldn’t be too surprised that cunt was said, I mean really, they need to get a life, and let it go. “Well honey a cunt is another word for vagina, but it’s not normally used in conversations, because some people find it offensive.” Wow, that was hard to handle wasn’t it? It’s called parenting, they should try it sometime.

Context...

Some of these bodies set up protect us from TV are out of their minds.

In the context of the conversation this word is perfectly acceptable.

The word c*nt, is just a word. It is fine to be angry about it when used an an expletive, but when used in the correct context, as in Jane Fonda's case, then I see no reason to pursue this matter any further.

Personally I think NBC should retract their apology and tell The Parents Television Council to go f*ck themselves.

Not just americans

The BBC has a ban on it. I remember listening to Front Row on Radio 4 one evening at about 21:30, and there was a woman artist describing a live art work that involved a woman sitting with her legs open with little clothing, and the artist used the word (sorry, I'm not afraid of the word, I'm just posting through a content screen which may identify the word and take action) to describe aspects of the work, and Mark Lawson nearly tripped over himself with a repremand to the guest and an apology to the listeners.

Laughed, I could have crashed the car!!

I think that there were a number of audience complaints recieved by the BBC.

Brits are cunts themselves...

From the British knee-jerk reactions on here and in "real life" here in the UK, I can testify that you Brits need to stop being such hypocritical cunts yourselves...

I hate to break it to you, but as a Mexican-American Yank living in the UK (8 years now) I can tell you that you folks aren't much better than the Americans vis-à-vis hypocrisy... you've got plenty of your own pedophiles, racists, murderers, wackjobs, and even laugh at the US for things like Puritanism on drink, yet you have your own big problems with binge drinking here in the UK (see any Friday night in the UK, the puddles of vomit!) You even have your own vigilantes whenever a suspected child molester on parole moves into a neighborhood, yet apparently usually end up beating up innocent people...

*rolls eyes* To add to it, need I remind you of how popular white trash culture is here in the UK? (Big Brother, Jeremy Kyle, the Mirror, Bling Bling, etc...)? So from my experience, the only real difference between a Yank and a Limey is the lack of guns... and I've seen that you Brits certainly don't need guns to be vindictive, violent, drunk, uncouth, trash...

You'd thinks Brits would be able to understand Yanks

Afterall, the Brits have done virtually everything the US has done - torture suspects, violate human rights, censorship, etc. etc. It's typical of people with inferiority problems to constantly put down others that do not seem similarly afflicted.

When in Rome do....

... as the Romans do? OK. I'm from Madrid and I've always been very careful with the words when speaking with native english speakers. You can't say this. You can't say that... Don't forget!.... In Spain we call names each other all the time and nobody cares, except when driving a car. In a car almost anything can be a casus belli, but that's the exception...

But I've seen so many heated reactions here that I don't know what to think... Hey! What do the Romans do really?

Anyone who doesn't think cunt is offensive...

...hasn't learned to use it properly...

Seriously: Overuse in the UK has watered down its delivery impact. Earlier comment regarding the mystifcation is dead on. Perfect example in Euro progressive reverse: in Germany you can wave your hands at someone which means "Fuck You Dumbass!" but give them the finger and they will write down your license plate and call the cops...for a 1500 Euro ticket which I seem to have slippery shoulders enough to avoid. But you know something, I don't do it often but there is nothing like giving someone the middle finger and then the sight of them freaking and gesticulating in their car when I flip them off for being a total dick in traffic.

Missing the point here...

America has 300m+ citizens. We don't all move in perfect lockstep when some puritan asshole decides that our TV has become too risque, yet again. In fact, it's pretty hard to make 300m people move in lockstep for almost anything.

Yes, the nanny brigade is in full force here, but that doesn't mean we all agree with them. In fact, I'd wager they get even more hate mail than your average American.

Besides, didn't I just read something about how your own UK nanny brigade would prefer if video games not be set in famous London landmarks?

Yes, it is unconscionable for the government, and their quasi-private "concerned parent" groups, to enforce censorship when the vast majority of the American public finds it distasteful and unconstitutional.

So, speaking of that, what's the BBC and ITV's policies? Could I appear on a morning show there and say, "All you cunts who can't take my language should just change the fucking dial." Would there *really* be no fascist nannies in all of the UK, rushing to defend the delicate children?

The Mundane

To perform any work on stage with any degree of competency, you’re going to have to be well acquainted with its entirety. I’m sure the c-word came out in a matter-of-fact way. With a more El Reg-focus, you get the same effect with technical words. What starts off strange, alien, bizarre soon becomes ordinary, mundane. And, as has already been pointed out, that is the whole purpose of that section of the play. In the time between performances, Ms Fonda could well spend a lot of it with cunt on the tip of her tongue.

No free titillation for you, America!

"Showing bare buttocks on TV - wrong

Making millions in internet porn - that's OK"

Porn Industry Lobbyists: We can't allow the TV-watching masses to get free T&A now, can we? If they want naked flesh they should be PAYING US to see it, not getting it gratis during the half-time show.

"Of course we teach freedom of speech, but say as we say and not what we preach." - Stiff Little Fingers "Can't Say Crap on the Radio".

I'm going to let you in on a shocker

Words are not the same in the US. Connotations are different. In the UK, the word is a mild expletive. In the US, if I said that to my wife, I'd probably wind up in divorce court. Seriously. There's probably not a judge in the US that wouldn't view it as over the top abuse.

What of it? Is there any reason we should march in lock step with your interpretation of words? Is there any reason you should march in lock step with our usage? I think that for all the hyperbole about it, that it makes a mountain out of a molehill -- Jane Fonda is to the American Left what Ann Coulter is to the American Right. Potty mouths and such, just out to grab headlines.

However, since the FCC deals with infractions like this in $$, you can expect NBC to be mad about it -- her sleazy gain of a few thousand $$ in publicity will cost them in the millions. Well they should squeal.

If you think "that's nuts, you can say what you want on the air". I say bullshit. The airwaves are public property, and subject to legislation about what can and cannot be said. If you don't like the laws, stop your bitching and change them.

Personally, I'm happy about what just happened. There is no conceivable reason that we should have to let our society descend to the lowest common denominator at max speed. A media whore like Jane, with a long, traitorous career of pandering to publicity really deserves a large glass of shut the fuck up. You want to curse, or show body parts, that's what the Internet's for. NBC should have known what they were getting into. The woman is nothing but trash, and the play is just lesbian paedophilic porn.

My advice is, stop getting pompous about it and enjoy the free show. This is unscripted reality TV at its finest. That, and if you're dealing with Yanks, watch out for that particular word. It will get you more than you bargained for.

re:

well.. if you notice, all of the "profane" words are related to genitalia or bodily functions.

We really need to get over this stupid hangup (both brits and ussies, well if I'm not allowed to call them americans then ussie seems to fit the template when you look at those from australia, remember not all of those from the usa are yankees either.. bit like saying someone from the nederlands is from holland!).

I use so called profanity as a kind of verbal dressing to my sentences in order to get across my feelings - "you fucking goat felcher" gets across anger and actually fells better (since you have words to vent your feelings into) than simply saying "you ignoramus".

People need to learn that it's the sentiment behind the words that are important, not the words themselves because words can have their meanings changed, the emotion and the sentiment when used don't.

Eh!! She said what?

In my office the 'C' word can only be used on a Friday, a sort of rationing to keep it's Gravitas. I love all the fuss, it's just a shame she didn't have a "Costume Malfuntion" and showed her own at the same time, the GILF lovers would of shown their support for her then (a sort of Karma, Yin Yang thing to balance things out).

BTW Omar, the phrase for "pools of vomit" is affectionately known as "Pavement Pizza" in the 24hour drinking, decriminilised drug using, happy slapping, chav culture, of this once great nation. I dodge them mostly on a Monday morning on my way to work.

A couple of observations

@Theresa Jayne Forster: Spot on: it's the distinction between using a word and mentioning the word. One is culpable, the other isn't.

One of the problems, though, is that there is no friendly, cuddly word for that beautiful part of the female body. We blokes have willies, todgers or whatever, but ladies have either a latin anatomical term (scabbard in English) or a term of abuse. (And not 'front bottom', either because that devalues its beauty and amazing function)

So - perhaps a new word is needed as the pet name for the lady's secret bit. Any offers?

Not all Americans Agree with the idiots in the Parents' Council

For Jane Fonda to use any other word to describe that part of the Vagina Monologues would be contrary to the intent of said monologues. The Parents' Council is obvious filled with the same idiots that want to ban anything they find offensive from library and classroom shelves. I'm a US citizan who disagrees with this wholeheartedly. To ban the word only encourages children to find the word 'nawty' and to increase their usage of the Cunt as derogratory. This goes against everything that the Vagina Monologues stand for.

I want to offend all of you!

re: The real problem:

"..a contravention of the 1st amendment" -- apparently, the freedom of speech is now to be invoked to protect an overpaid and overhyped has-been's vulgar references to body parts, as opposed to concepts like ideas and freedoms on the justification that it is in a book or play somewhere. I'm sure I'd get real far using words like that at work, and HR would be real impressed that I read it in a book somewhere. They'll probably even be generous and give me plenty of free time to read that book.

Let me straighten you out here -- there are places where vulgar language is appropriate, and places where it is not. On national TV, by agreement of the people and the FCC, it is not. Even if you read it in a book. They're my airwaves as much as they're yours, and we're all supposed to agree upon what is acceptable. Just try to get the FCC to change their position on that. It ain't likely as they got pushed into that role because people were unhappy with the language on the airwaves. Save the first amendment for when it is not about the interests of vulgarity and stupidity. Don't get on me about how this is an erosion of a basic right -- the erosion began when Janey decided she'd get some free publicity at the expense of the network.

Jane Fonda -- giving a half-million Vietnam Vets a place to spit for over 40 years! It's all freedom of speech! They read about it in a book somewhere, so it must be OK!

dah dah

They're ALWAYS "offended" by SOMETHING!

people should just get over it, and stop being "offended" by every frigging little thing,..it

slipped out -they apologized, get over it,.. more important things in the

world to be outraged about, than mamby pamby shit like this. These people always

being "offended" by something,.. This from a nation stupid enough to listen to, and totally believe, morons like Rush Limbaugh("Thrash Windbag"), Micheal Savage(and his Cabbage Nation!), Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Howie Carr, and the rest of those douche-bags.

The more people get pissed off at Jane Fonda, the better i like her,..she's

been 'scapegoated' by the Religious Right("relidgiots") for years - i'm tired of hearing about it,..

dearie me

Utterly missing the point

Isn't the reason the word is seen as derogatory because its used in a derogatory fashion?

Words are symbols to convey thoughts. If this word wasn't seen as derogatory then another word would be used, which by context and usage would be derogatory *because that is the intent of the user*. Should it cease to be offensive, offense will be given in another manner.

Using it as a label for a person is offensive because it implies that the most important part of them (that which gets a mention) is their genitals. Its similar to calling someone a "brain" if they are intelligent, but we tend to value thoughts as being the essence of a person so that is not usually considered offensive.

Don't blame the censors for being "puritanical", blame those who use the words with the intent to abuse and be offensive. I suspect the Monologues are trying to free women from the intended abuse by normalising the word. Many Europeans and non-native English speakers wonder what the fuss is about - the abusive connotations simply don't exist for them as its just a body-part label. That's why medical terms are usually not banned, but slang and swearing is. Its a rather crude (ahem) attempt to change the nature of the conversation, rather than banning some inherently offensive syllables.

I'm not a fan of censorship but there is a time and place for everything. I suspect breakfast radio was not the time for the whole discussion, regardless of the specific wording. Some people just don't want to have to talk about the objectification of women via sex with their seven-year-old daughter over cereals. Some parents think that children have enough trouble without burdening them with the injustices of the world or things they would have difficulty understanding.

There is also a good argument for not having surprising content. Certainly parents can and should switch the radio/tv off if undesirable content is broadcast, but it helps if there is a well-known pattern of content. That's why there is generally a 9pm watershed rather than having porn screened on random schooldays at 4pm. That's on a separate channel, usually with access controls in place. Then everyone knows what to expect and no-ones "rights" are infringed.

I know the US has an odd attitude to sex, given its penchant for violence. When it comes to "thinking of the children". I (as the parent) am the gatekeeper of entertainment. That typically means every electronic media is banned at home unless proved exceptionally beneficial. That removes the burden of censorship from government influenced by lobby groups and involves me in my children's lives. A win for adult "freedom" and a win for the family as well.

re:twat

It's not *Americans*, it's just some cunts in the US.

Calling Americans idiots for the behavior of a few loud knuckleheads is unfair and foolish. No one has a monopoly on stupidity. Many of us here are decent, reasonable people, but unfortunately, we don't control the media.

Brits: get off your moral High Horses - you have just as rigid restrictions on certain words being broadcast at certain times and you were also part of GWB's "Coallition of The Willing [to Invade a Sovereign Nation and Murder its Populace]".

There are things out there that are a lot more obscene than words can ever be - "cunt" was a perfectly acceptable word for that part of the female anatomy until those filthy French river pirates killed the Saxon King (Alfred) and decreed that all Saxon words were vulgar and French was the only "civilised" language. In due course, "English" reasserted itself but retained a lot of French words and this stupid puritanical distaste for those Saxon words that refer to certain parts of anatomy ("hand" and "foot" were still deemed acceptable) and biological functions.

Now "cunt" (M.E. "cunte", O.N. "kunta", L. "cunnus" - uncertain meaning, possibly "gash" or "slit") is rejected as "a negative connotation" but "vagina" which means "sheath" or "scabbard" (typical Doctors' arrogance, naming a part of the WOMAN's anatomy based on what MEN use it for!) is not a negative connotation. So, calling it (possibly) a "slit" is unacceptable, but effectively calling it "something to stick my cock in" is acceptable.

Funny how "Thou shalt not murder" gets a place in the original Ten Commandments these "Moral" people profess to follow while "don't use profane language" is merely one of the thousands of little laws mentioned elsewhere (along with things like "don't eat pig meat" and other biblical laws the "Moral Few" are quite happy to ignore) - yet they're on their high horse about some woman publically quoting a play that happens to use a word that was once (to the Saxons) no more offensive than "hand" or "foot" while their sons and daughters "do God's work" murdering Muslims.

Cockney rhyming slang, anyone?

Think of the children

I've never understood how children grow into healthy, balanced individuals on account of not hearing swearing on the telly. They'll pick it up at some stage no matter what you do to protect them - and if they don't, that's worse. Imagine a 16 year-old smiling happily at being called "twat" because he's no clue what the word means.

when i were a lad.....

... several decades ago, the words 'cunt' and 'fuck' were equally taboo. Now it seems, the former is still Very Bad, while the latter hardly raises eyebrows (in fact it seems to be almost obligatory in contemporary action movies, especially if ones name is Eddie Murphy). I'm not quite sure why the difference...

Anyway, considering what the Vagina Monologues was All About, why was anybody surprised when Jane used Word Numero Uno? Why hadn't all those upright horrified parents discreetly changed the channel as soon as the subject of Interesting Bits of Anatomy came up? Does it look different if it has a different name pinned on it?

Talking of which, my suggestion for an alternative euphemism - how about 'pussy'?

OK, I think I'll go and get my coat now - the nice warm furry one

(Paris - because she probably has a nice warm furry coat too. In places, anyway).

@ when i were a lad.....

That lengthy poem I abridged makes that point - you can use any euphemism you like *as often as you like* provided you don't actually use ONE PARTICULAR word for it.

Feel free to rabbit on for hours at a time about pussies, vaginas and the like but, as the poem puts it in the relevant section:

"Beware the affront

Of aping the Saxon

Don't call it a..."

Say "cunt" just once and you've somehow managed to offend the masses in less than a second when three hours of talking about "pussy" has failed to.

Apparently saying it (and other "naughty" Saxon words) is a sign of a "limited vocabulary". Just got to love the IRONY of being told my vocabulary is "limited" by people who consciously CHOOSE NOT TO SAY "certain" words.

Nah, mate, no fucking limits here.

Then they'll turn around and say "using such language is a sign of low intelligence" in the baldest attempt ever to force you to adhere to *their* standards out of a desire to prove to them you are intelligent. Frequently used when there's a large audience so that they can "shame you" in front of others.

The appropriate response in such cases is generally "well, I was going to call you an 'alopecic slubbertigullion with the cognitive abilities of a concussed simian' but I figured you wouldn't understand that so I settled for 'stupid bald cunt', OK?"